SUMMARY
It was a challenging year for the IPL. From a cricketing point of view, it grew, writes Harsha Bhogle

I am overjoyed by the resurgence of Robin Uthappa; not as much for the talent he possesses but for what he has overcome, for the decisions he took in life and the effort he was willing to commit to his decision. Most times most people know what to do; if they don’t, an informed opinion isn’t too far away. But it is the commitment to doing what it takes that is worthy of admiration. With Uthappa the runs were merely a by-product, a consequence of training and working hard when the result was far away and unknown. That is what produces applause and brings a smile.

I like the new-look Uthappa because his batting is tighter, more stylish than it was (and he was always stylish) and in an almost contrarian way, he has found freedom through going back to technique. By becoming tighter, by playing closer to his body I suspect he is playing shots that give him greater value and greater longevity. With Uthappa, it was never a question of class or timing, it was about being in long enough to cause lasting damage. He has chiseled his game and is looking so much better for it.

But now, the challenges begin. Can he continue to play within the new boundaries he has set for himself? Or will he rebel against his own discipline and seek newer territories for his boundless talent? Just as investors follow certain scrips, cricket watchers must follow Uthappa to see where he goes. I wish him well, he is a fine young man who has endured, and frittered away, much. He has now found peace and stability; those are boundaries for some, pathways for others.

If Uthappa’s was the dramatic resurgence at the IPL, it was a new look Wriddhiman Saha who caught everyone’s eye. You knew Saha was smooth and classy behind the stumps, that in front of them he was more than just capable, also that he was a brilliant fielder when the gloves were worn by someone else. But could he hit the ball with such intensity? Very few, dare I say nobody, could say they saw this coming. We never know, do we, who really resides within a person!

This is excellent news for Indian cricket. And it can be even better if Saha catalyses an Uthappa like resurgence in Dinesh Karthik. I suspect that a year from now, MS Dhoni would be looking at his career through a more critical lens and India will benefit from having a healthy competition between Saha and Karthik for the latter is a possessor of rare gifts too.

And what of Manish Pandey? He has promised much, often scoring big when the occasion was big enough, earning

source: http://www.indianexpress.com / The Indian Express / Home> Cricket> Indian Premier League / by Harsha Bhogle / June 04th, 2014

Robin Uthappa‘s dream run with the bat was rewarded in the 17th CEAT awards gala, where the stylish right-handed batsman walked home with the award for the CEAT Domestic Cricketer of the Year. On the recent IPL victory, he says “it wouldn’t have been sweet if we had not won.”

On the back of a stellar Ranji Trophy campaign for Karnataka, where he averaged a humongous 89 and led his state to a unique hat-trick of domestic titles i.e Ranji Trophy, Deodar Trophy and the Irani Cup. Uthappa was the lynchpin of his side with excellent displays at the top of the order.

Uthappa’s stupendous run did not stop there and helped his Indian Premier League (IPL), where he looked impregnable and took home the top run-getter’s Orange Cap. He had a jaw-dropping nine consecutive 40+ scores to lead his franchise, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to their second IPL triumph. Uthappa’s consistent displays with the bat have earned him an India call-up for their upcoming One-Day International (ODI) tour of Bangladesh.

source: http://www.cricketcountry.com / The Cricket Country / Home> News / by Cricket Country Staff / June 02nd, 2014

KKR opener is elated to have capped off a successful domestic season with the IPL trophy

Robin Uthappa has defied the law of averages. In a format that is more fickle than English weather, he strung 10 scores of 40-plus on the bounce, in Pepsi IPL 2014. The Kolkata Knight Riders opener was the single most important reason behind the team’s unbelievable jump from the near bottom of the table in the first phase of the tournament to them surging to the IPL crown.

With his 660 runs in the tournament at an average of 44 and a strike-rate of 137.78, Uthappa overtook the likes of Glenn Maxwell and Dwayne Smith to go home with the Orange Cap. After KKR’s thrilling three-wicket win in the final against KXIP, an elated and excited Uthappa narrated his joy in an interview with IPLT20.com.

Here are excerpts from his interview:

A perfect end to the fairytale?

Oh, absolutely! This is absolutely stunning! The whole feeling is just so surreal. For me, personally, this is the fourth cup in a year and so, wow! It doesn’t get better than this, does it? This has been such an amazing ride. We didn’t start off well, but there was always the belief that we can get our campaign back on track if we just take it one game at a time, and that is exactly what we did. Even today, we knew that on this ground we can chase down any score. We only had to keep up with the run-rate and keep ourselves in the game. Literally, everybody chipped in.

Where would you rate this in your career achievements?

I have set some goals for myself – a to-do list. But this year has been something else. The Ranji Trophy, the Vijay Hazare Trophy, the Irani Trophy and now the IPL, all in one year! I never thought I’ll be able to do that. It’s amazing. This is a tick in another box.

10 consecutive 40-plus scores in the T20 format – it’s unreal!

I was very keen on making a meaningful contribution to the team’s cause and I am really happy to be able to do that, and many times, also carrying the team through from difficult situations. To keep pulling off the scores after the sixth or seventh one there was a bit of pressure. I kept reminding myself to forget about the past scores, just stay in the present, and play the ball on its merit. It all fell into place, and here we are!

Going back at the top of the order must have felt like homecoming.

Well, opening the batting is my bread and butter; that’s what I do for a living. It was great that the management showed faith in me and I am glad I lived up to their expectations. I am glad I lived up to my own expectations.

Good to have some runs from the captain as well and batting with him?

Absolutely! Gauti and I have always batted well opening the batting together. We’ve done that for India and have also played a lot of domestic cricket together, for India A. The understanding and the camaraderie between us is really good. We really egg each other on while batting, which is the most important thing when two batsmen are setting up a foundation for the team. Also, it’s very good to bat with a left-hander as that combination will always make things difficult for the opposition.

source: http://www.iplt20.com / Indian Premier League / Home> News> Features & Interviews / by Shirin Sadikot in Belgaum / June 02nd, 2014

Suresh Raina will captain the side in the absence of Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Virat Kohli

Robin Uthappa was recalled to the Indian team on Wednesday (May 28) for the three-match One-Day International series in Bangladesh, beginning in Mirpur on June 15.

In the absence of Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Virat Kohli, both of who have been rested keeping in mind the hectic season ahead, Suresh Raina has been named captain of the side.

The 15-man squad wears a vastly different look from the one that visited the same part of the world for the Asia Cup in February-March. Raina, who was dropped for that tournament, and Uthappa lead those making their comebacks.

Uthappa made a case for himself with ten straight 40-plus scores in IPL 7 for Kolkata Knight Riders, on the back of a stellar domestic season.

Others that have made it in to the side are Manoj Tiwary, Kedar Jadhav, Akshar Patel, Parveez Rasool, Wriddhiman Saha, R Vinay Kumar and Mohit Sharma, all of who have been impressive at various stages of the 2014 season of the IPL.

Rested from the Asia Cup squad, apart from Dhoni and Kohli are Shikhar Dhawan, Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami, Varun Aaron and Ishwar Pandey.

Squad for ODI series in Bangladesh: Suresh Raina (capt), Robin Uthappa, Ajinkya Rahane, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ambati Rayudu, Manoj Tiwary, Kedar Jadhav, Wriddhiman Saha, Parveez Rasool, Akshar Patel, R Vinay Kumar, Umesh Yadav, Stuart Binny, Mohit Sharma, Amit Mishra.

source: http://www.icc-cricket.com / International Cricket Council / Home> News / May 28th, 2014

New Delhi :

The Badminton Association of India (BAI) on Tuesday announced a cash reward of Rs. 40 lakh for the women’s team that created history by winning the maiden bronze medal in the just concluded Uber Cup.

It was the first podium finish by India in the prestigious biennial event by qualifying for the semifinals where they lost to silver medallists Japan. China defended their title successfully by clinching the gold Saturday.

“The women’s team has made us proud with the way they played last week. The BAI is providing the best facilities to the players to perform on the international stage and the cash prize is just a part of our commitment towards the players,” BAI president Akhilesh Das Gupta said.

The chief architects of India’s performance — captain Saina Nehwal, PV Sindhu, Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa — will receive cash rewards of Rs.5 lakh each while the remaining amount will be distributed among the other players and staff members.

The BAI also announced a separate Rs.10 lakh reward for chief coach Pullela Gopichand for being honoured with the Padma Bhushan earlier in the year by the Indian government.

Meanwhile, Das Gupta also rubbished reports about the possible appointment of Danish legend Morten Frost as the coach of the Indian team adding that he had full faith in former All-England champion Gopichand.

“Gopichand has been doing a fantastic job as head coach and we have full faith in his abilities to take India ahead on the international scene. The BAI is only looking for a specialised doubles coach which has been a weak link for the country in team events,” said the president.

“However, we haven’t zeroed down on any specific names for the same. Whosoever is appointed, will be working directly under head coach Gopichand.”

source:http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> Sports> Badminton / IANS / May 27th, 2014

The resurgence of Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL after a tumultuous start to the Indian leg and an equally abysmal period in the Arab Emirates prior to that has been nothing less than spectacular. With the spinners turning it in their favor and Gautam Gambhir discovering form, it has been a promising comeback from the Knights. One of the foremost reasons behind these 4 consecutive wins has been the consistency of another man who has been striking gold ever since he began to open the batting for the Kolkata franchise.

The current IPL season has been a revelation for Robin Uthappa, who had done very little to impress the selectors in the last 5 years. Now given the opportunity of opening the batting with Gambhir, Uthappa seems determined to flick, cut and drive his way towards the Indian dressing room.

His smart exhibition of intelligent batsmanship and prudent shot selection has impressed all and sundry. His calm demeanor has been evident in the way he has handled pressure. In spite of wickets tumbling at the other end, Uthappa hasn’t compromised with his consistency and has almost always abided by the verified technicalities of the game, thereby offering very sparse chances to the opponents to claim his wicket.

The right-hander from Coorg had been one of the finest exponents of limited aggression during his tenure with the national team. However, as rough patches continued to haunt his career on an alarmingly frequent basis, he found himself ousted from the team in 2008 even before having debuted in Tests.

For the next few years Uthappa lagged behind while the likes of Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma and Suresh Raina consolidated their places in the Indian team. The appetite for returning to the field in national colors persuaded him to hire a personal coach and work on his technique.

He worked on his fitness, embraced various alterations in his initial movements and footwork and ensured a constructive influence of former India batsman Pravin Amre. The latter’s advice revitalized his aggressive approach and aided his renaissance in the domestic circuit.

During the Ranji Trophy, he managed to accumulate 374 runs in five matches regardless of recurring hamstring injuries as his state team went on to win the title. In the Vijay Hazare Trophy, he remained uniformly fluent while scoring 536 runs in eight matches and steering Karnataka to a historic domestic double.

He appears to have carried that form into the IPL as he continues to score effortlessly, flicking and driving on both the flanks even on slow and low wickets like Cuttack. In 11 matches so far, Uthappa has already garnered 422 runs at a remarkable average of 38.36 and is the leading run-scorer in the tournament behind Glenn Maxwell and Dwayne Smith. He has scored three half-centuries in the current season with the highest of 80 off 52 balls against Mumbai Indians and certainly looks well set for more.

Initially, KKR had opted for the tried-and-tested combination of Jacques Kallis and Gautam Gambhir at the top, thereby relegating Uthappa to the middle and lower middle order. However, a succession of pathetic performances by the apparently shallow batting order urged the Knights to assess their resources, the consequence of which promoted Uthappa to the top order.

The meticulously calculated maneuver earned rich dividends as the Gambhir-Uthappa pair put on four consecutive 50-run stands that allowed KKR back into the reckoning for a spot in the play-offs. Even when Gambhir failed to light the sparks, Uthappa continued to hold up the other end time and again.

An unruffled disposition and a penchant for scoring off the leg finds him ideally suited for the opener’s slot. Wristy surgical drives may elude him, but Uthappa’s precision and technical excellence makes him an artist of the finest caliber. While his masterful execution makes cricket look simple and elegant, it’s his temperament that defines his game.

It may appear premature to conclude, but Robin Uthappa may well be on route to script a mesmerizing comeback in national colors. With opening woes continuing to haunt the Indian team, Uthappa may be the man to offer the selectors much-needed respite. What remains to be seen is whether the timing of his peaking has been as immaculate and rewarding as that of his on-field strokes.

source: http://www.sportskeeda.com / SportsKeeda / Home> Opinion> Cricket> IPL / Ishan Sen – Cricket Analyst (Senior Correspondent) / May 19th, 2014